California tunnel proposal would move trucks on conveyor

| Thursday, December 29, 2005

American truckers could be introduced to a
system that’s has been place in Europe for more than 10 years – if a
California
group can
sell its concept.

That group – Tri-Tunnel Express – wants to
build three tunnels through the
Santa AnaMountains
to link
Orange
and
Riverside
counties. They say the tunnels would reduce congestion on California Highway
91.

Tri-Tunnel’s Jack Wagner said one of the
tunnels could be for heavy trucks and be modeled after the Chunnel – the long,
underwater tunnel that connects
England
and
France
.

“They developed a conveyor system whereby
trucks at either end of the
English Channel
queue up to a train-like conveyor system. The trucks would drive on, shut off
their engines and then be conveyed under the
English
Channel
to the other side. Then start up their engines and drive
off,” Wagner told “Land Line Now.”

The conveyor system proposal for trucks in
California
could lead to lower emissions and
additionally give drivers a little bit of downtime like the system in
Europe
, Wagner said. Though he did not discuss how
hours-of-service rules would apply to truckers on the conveyor.

Wagner said truckers, and four-wheelers
would pay a toll to use the tunnels.

The Tri-tunnel proposal does have
opponents. Some critics note the tunnels would be built in an area prone to
earthquakes.

And backers of an alternative plan are
calling an elevated highway to be built in the median of the existing state
Route 91.

If the tunnels are built, they’d be
between 10 and 12 miles long – making them the longest public transportation
tunnels in the
U.S.